Center for Hard to Recycle Materials

Residential recycling will go to a material recovery facility where it will be sorted by type and recycled into new materials and products. Please rinse food/drink residue from plastic, metal and glass before recycling. Remove staples and paper clips. Keep lids and caps on bottles and jars or place in trash. Check out our Story Map about where your waste and recycling go from the curb and CHaRM Center.

Paper and Cardboard  

Accepted: Moving boxes, food boxes, shipping boxes, cardboard or paper envelopes and folders, newspaper, mail and magazines, notebook paper, scrap paper and cartons.
Not Accepted: Shredded paper, to-go cups, paper plates soiled with food, greasy cardboard or pizza boxes, coated paper take out containers, tissue paper, sparkly wrapping paper, paper towels and napkins. 

Plastic

Accepted: Hard plastic containers and bottles (water bottles, milk jugs, detergent containers, etc.) as well as #1 and #2 plastic to-go containers.  
Not Accepted: Plastic utensils, flexible plastics (bags, straws, wrapping from food or packaging), bubble wrap, Styrofoam, packing peanuts and foam packaging. See the Styrofoam section for details about recycling Styrofoam at the CHaRM Center.   

Metal 

Accepted: Steel/tin food cans and aluminum beverage cans.  
Not Accepted: Aluminum soiled with food, loose tabs or bottle caps, razor blades, needles or sharps.  

Glass 

Accepted: Brown, green and clear food and beverage bottles and jars.   
Not Accepted: Small pieces of broken glass and Pyrex or heat-resistant glass.

Electronics, functioning and non-functioning IT-related electronics will be responsibly disassembled and recycled.  

Computers and Accessories 

Accepted: Laptops, tablets, desktop PCs, flat screen monitors, cables and accessories, circuit boards/cards, computer mice, computer power supplies, gaming devices, hard drives, keyboards, media speakers and network devices.

Home Entertainment 

Accepted: Plasma, LCD, large screen TVs, and CRT/tube monitors and TVs, cable set top box (analog, digital, satellite), accessories and cables, stereo equipment, Hi-Fi speakers, video players, digital cameras, DVD players, video cameras, game consoles, non-working solar or plug-in holiday string lights, electronic tools, air conditioners, microwaves and small kitchen appliances. 

Servers and Data Centers 

Accepted: Servers, storage arrays, network related equipment, power distribution units, routers and switches, cabling, switchgear, panelboard, mainframe equipment and server racks.

Mobile Devices 

Accepted: Cell phones/smart phones, personal digital assistants and MP3 players.

Office Items 

Accepted: Landline phones and communication devices, ink and toner cartridges, fax machines, video and audio equipment, PBX systems, projection equipment, security equipment, receivers and transmitters, desktop printers, large format printers and copiers and smart boards.

Clothing, textiles and other household items will be reused when possible and recycled if no longer usable. Please make sure items are washed and completely dry before placing in a plastic bag.

Clothing 

Accepted: Blouses, pants, swimsuits, coats, scarves, ties, dresses, shirts, tops (any kind), hats, socks, formal wear, jackets, suits, undergarments, jeans, sweaters and all baby/infant clothing. 
Not Accepted: Wet, moldy or dirty clothing.

Shoes and Accessories 

Accepted: All shoes are accepted, backpacks, gloves, office supplies, belts, handbags, purses, computer bags, luggage, tote bags, fashion jewelry and wallets. 

Household and Textiles 

Accepted: Bedspreads, washcloths, sleeping bags, drapes, blankets, home/wall decor, sheets, curtains, pictures/artwork, sofa covers, shower curtains, small area rugs/floor mats, towels, quilts, vases, pillows, baskets, books, kitchen dishes, glasses, holders/shakers and utensils.
Not Accepted: Furniture, electronics, paints, mattresses and cleaners/liquids.

Toys 

Accepted: Plastic toys, baby toys, games (with all pieces), plush toys, wooden toys, stuffed toys and dolls. 
Not Accepted: Wet, dirty or moldy toys.

#6 Polystyrene (Styrofoam) packaging and food and beverage storage waste will be condensed and recycled into new foam. 

#6 Polystyrene (Styrofoam)

Accepted: Foam packaging waste from appliances, furniture, TVs and electronics, foam coolers, food service foam (egg cartons, trays, takeout clamshells, cups and plates) and foam packing peanuts. Please remove tape and labels before dropping off and all foam must be clean, dry and have no food particles attached, these items are only accepted at the CHaRM Center.
Not Accepted: Any foam with food, tape or label contamination or material featuring any recycle number other than '6.'

History of the CHaRM Center: In 2022, more than $1 billion was allocated to Cook County through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Through a robust planning process, the County developed a responsible, comprehensive spending plan to use ARPA one-time resources to support immediate recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and long-term transformative initiatives, and to promote equitable recovery for populations that were historically disinvested or disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.  

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced over $100 million in ARPA funding to support a clean environment for all and fight climate change. These projects are found throughout the County’s bureaus and departments, reflecting President Preckwinkle’s commitment to Sustainable Communities as one of the six pillars of the County’s Policy Roadmap, a four-year strategic plan for offices under the president. 

The Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability (DES) created the Recycling, Composting and Circular Economy Solutions (RCCES) initiative in late 2022 with the mission of building municipal capacity to implement reduction, reassembly, remanufacture, repair, reuse, repurpose, recycle, compost and circularity-related initiatives within suburban Cook County. The RCCES initiative will aid expansion of zero waste and circularity-related programs and opportunities within the County to help successfully reach the goal of 45% diversion rate by 2030. Notably, the initiative will support the south suburbs, where many of the County’s municipalities with moderate to high environmental justice index scores based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are located. 

Two strategic objectives of the RCCES initiative were the creation of a new south suburban recycling drop-off facility and a new south suburban Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility. These two facilities would be folded under the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM Center). After extensive data analysis, community conversations and stakeholder engagement efforts, DES partnered with South Suburban College (SSC) in 2023 to establish these new facilities. SSC is a public community college located in the center of southern Cook County, where most municipalities don't have residential recycling and other waste diversion programs. Many of the County's municipalities with the lowest recycling and diversion rates are in this area.

On April 22, 2023, Cook County and SSC celebrated Earth Day by opening the first phase of the CHaRM Center, a permanent recycling drop-off facility. On April 22, 2024, Cook County observed Earth Day by announcing the second phase of the CHaRM Center, a permanent HHW facility, will open in 2025. Both facilities are largely funded by ARPA and are available to Cook County residents for free.

Mission: The CHaRM Center is a premier environmental sustainability program of Cook County and SSC. With a permanent recycling drop-off facility and a permanent HHW facility, the CHaRM Center aims to improve Cook County’s environmental health by encouraging recycling, repurposing, reusing and diverting millions of pounds of waste and other hard-to-recycle items from Illinois landfills and water systems annually. All operational expenses for the CHaRM Center are paid through grants, sponsorships, donations and recycling-related fees.

Vision: The vision of the CHaRM Center is for all Cook County residents, businesses and other institutions to implement practices that improve the health and environment of their local communities. 

Goals: The CHaRM Center will: 

1. Increase the waste diversion rate for the south suburban region by 23% by 2030. 

   Context: The 2022 waste diversion rate for the south suburbs was 22%, while the County’s goal is for each region to achieve a 45% waste diversion rate by 2030, in alignment with the Illinois Materials Management Advisory Committee’s recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly. To achieve the 45% waste diversion goal, the CHaRM Center will provide the infrastructure, education, engagement and access to south suburban residents, businesses and other institutional entities to help divert materials away from regional landfills. 

2. Provide education and engagement opportunities to south suburban residents, businesses and other institutions by 2030. 

   Context: Cook County and SSC will provide south suburban residents, businesses and other institutions with educational and promotional materials, marketing campaigns, special events and other engagement opportunities. These materials and opportunities will bolster efforts to prevent and reduce waste in the County’s southern region. 

3. Support the next generation of environmental sustainability leaders by 2030. 

   Context: Cook County and SSC will provide SSC students and other community youth internships at the CHaRM Center; educational coursework, training and professional development opportunities; and/or opportunities to gain leadership skills by working with the County and other environmental organizations on various activities, events and programs. 

Theory of Change: The CHaRM Center will work in collaborative partnerships within every sector of the local community, from residents to businesses, nonprofits, schools and government, to develop and provide zero waste and circular economy solutions in the south suburbs. Cook County and the CHaRM Center will then share this model, as quickly and broadly as possible, with other communities and provide them with the policies, programs, infrastructure and communications tools needed to replicate zero waste and circular economy-related successes. The CHaRM Center will also advocate for local and state policies and resources that more quickly magnify this change at a broader scale, fostering circularity throughout local and state economies.